Love
by Lady Dudley
Summary: Michael and Jackie encounter more problems with their eldest son. Involves a discussion about the nature of love, from the prompt.
1. The Measure Of A Man

**A/N: I watched an episode of _The Cosby Show_ the other day ("Independence Day") and was inspired. The kids in this story are the same age as they were in "Traffic School" (i.e. Jimmy is 12, Nerys is 10, Katrina is 7, Ebony is 5 and Andrew is 3) although, not all of them appear in this. This is also from the prompt "Love" which is where the title comes from. Hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**_Love_  
**

Jimmy opened the front door slowly and peeked into the house, seeing no one in sight he snuck up the stairs and disappeared into his room.

"What are you creeping around the place for?"

Jimmy jumped and turned to find Nerys standing behind him both with her arms folded, "Come here," he said urgently, ushering her into the room, closing the door behind her as he did so. Pulling off his beanie he showed her his right ear, which now sported an earring.

Nerys gasped, "An earring?"

Jimmy nodded, clearly very pleased with himself.

"You know what this means? It means I'm a man," he said proudly.

Nerys looked doubtful, "Does Daddy know?" she asked.

Jimmy ignored her as he continued to practice his manly strut up and down his bedroom, "It shows that I can do whatever I want without having to ask anyone."

Nerys was about to comment when Ebony came into the room, Jimmy shot into a chair, trying to cover his piercing as best he could. "Go away Ebony!" he commanded.

"What are you doing?" she asked, "What's happening?"

"Nothing," Jimmy barked, "now go."

"No fair, I never get to find out anything," she mumbled, slamming the door behind her as she left.

Nerys took a closer look at Jimmy's earring, "Jimmy, I think you might need to go to the doctor, your ear is green," she told him, pulling a face.

"No way, then Dad will find out," he said, looking worried for the first time.

"He'll find out anyway when your ear falls off," Nerys observed, doing a passable impression of her mother's concerned look as Jimmy went to look for himself in the mirror.

"Just don't tell him, ok?" Jimmy looked at her imploringly, "Please?"

Nerys sighed, "Ok," she said as she made to leave the room, "but I really think you should get it checked out," she added as she left.


	2. To The Doctor

Jackie looked up at Nerys made her way into the kitchen, picking up a piece of fruit she regarded it thoughtfully, turning it over in her hands.

"You know, you could just eat it," Jackie told her as she turned back to her cooking.

Nerys looked up, "Mum, what would you do if someone you cared about asked you to keep a secret but you think that they could be in trouble?"

Jackie looked up at her sharply, "Is it someone in this house?"

Nerys nodded.

"Spill," Jackie ordered.

Nerys looked torn, "But I can't, Jimmy would kill me," she began, before shooting Jackie a horrified glance as she covered her mouth with her hand.

Jackie raised an eyebrow, "So Jimmy's the one who's in trouble?" she asked, leaning over the stove to stir one of the pots.

Nerys nodded slowly, "Yes," she slid off the stool she had been sitting on, "but that's all I'm going to say," she said hurriedly, leaving the kitchen as she did so.

Jackie waited a few moments before deciding that she just had to know what was going on. Turning off the stove and making sure all the pot handles were facing away from the edge, she slipped off her apron and made her way up to Jimmy's room.

She found him, lounging on his bed flicking through a comic book. He looked up when he heard her knock on the open door, he sighed. "Nerys told you, huh?" he asked.

Jackie gave him a small smile, "Not everything, just that she thought you might be in trouble." She raised a questioning eyebrow, "Are you in trouble, Jimmy?"

Jimmy sighed and stood up, "You tell me," he said, defeated as he showed her his ear.

Jackie covered her mouth with her hand and shook her head, "Oh Jimmy," was all she said.

He looked up at her, "It really hurts, Mummy," he told her.

"I'm sure it does," she agreed, looking at it with pursed lips, "I think you can save your explanations for your father, right now we need to get you to a doctor," she told him.

Jimmy gave a sullen nod as he followed her out of the room.


	3. Explanations

Michael stifled a yawn as he came home; he was surprised to find the house empty save for Nelson.

"Where is everybody, boy?" Michael asked the dog, giving him a pat on the head as he walked passed. "Hello?" he called as he entered the kitchen.

He was just starting to feel concerned when he heard Jackie's car pull up outside, followed by the sounds of his children piling out of the car and making their way into the house.

Ebony was the first to enter and she ran to him, "Daddy!" she cried as he scooped her up. "Is Jimmy in trouble?" she asked.

Michael gave her a concerned look, "Why should Jimmy be in trouble?" he asked.

Ebony looked a trifle guilty, "Oops," she said as Jimmy and the others came into the room.

Michael turned to greet them, putting Ebony down in the process, and caught sight of the bandaid on Jimmy's ear, "What happened to your ear?" he asked.

Jackie glanced between them and ushered the other children out of the room. Michael folded his arms across his chest as he watched them leave before looking back up at Jimmy.

Jimmy cleared his throat, looking everywhere but at his father.

"I...uh...that is...I..." Jimmy looked up at Michael, "I pierced my ear," he confessed.

Michael maintained a stoic silence and Jimmy rushed to explain, "Amelia, one of the girls at school, told me that I'd look good with an earring and so Tom's sister, Mindy, pierced our ears for us this afternoon after school. But it got infected so Mum had to take me to the doctor to get it fixed up...it...it's not pierced any more Daddy..." he finished.

"You pierced your ear because a girl at school told you that you'd look good with an earring?" Michael asked quietly.

Jimmy nodded solemnly.

Jackie, who had been standing quietly in the background after sending the other children out of the room, tried valiantly to suppress her laughter. She wasn't entirely successful and a small giggle escaped before she could help it.

"I fail to see the humour," Michael told her drily, even though she could see in his eyes that he did.

"I'm sorry," she said shaking her head with a smile, "but you men and your symbols. It's just the same as you and your suits."

Michael raised an eyebrow, "I seem to recall a certain woman, who shall remain nameless, who used to steal my jacket from said suit whenever she could."

Jackie smiled as she crossed the kitchen to join him, "There's difference between wearing something to impress someone and wearing something to say 'stay away from my man,'" she told him.

Enjoying the slightly dumbfounded look on Michael's face, Jackie turned to Jimmy. "I think you've learnt your lesson, young man," she told him, Jimmy nodded. "I think having your ear turn green was punishment enough," she continued, glancing at Michael for approval, he nodded. "Go and wash up for dinner," she commanded.

Jimmy nodded and made a beeline for the door.

"I have, two sons and three daughters," Michael said as he watched Jimmy leave, "somehow I always thought it would be one of the girls who I'd have problems over piercings with," he continued, looking over at Jackie.

Jackie laughed as she resumed cooking dinner.


	4. Epilogue: For Love

A few days later Jimmy came down for dinner to find Michael in the lounge with Robbie and Stuart, going over a case file.

"Where's Mum?" he asked, after exchanging greetings with the others.

"Cooking dinner with the girls," Michael replied, "perhaps you could set the table?"

Jimmy nodded, "I'm on it." As he stood up to leave, Robbie took hold of his arm and pulled him back down onto the couch.

"What happened to your ear?" he asked, regarding the bandaid closely.

Jimmy glanced over at Michael for help and was dismayed to see the small smile playing across his father's lips. "Go on, Jimmy, tell them what you did," he said.

Jimmy sighed, "I pierced my ear."

Robbie raised an eyebrow as he glanced at Michael, "And you survived your father's wrath?" he teased. Michael rolled his eyes. "Should I ask why?" Robbie asked, turning back to Jimmy.

"Amelia said I'd look good with an earring," Jimmy replied resigned.

Robbie gave a hearty laugh as he clapped Jimmy on the back, "The things you Jardine men will do to impress a woman," he said.

Jimmy shot a confused look at Michael who was looking darkly at Robbie. "What do you mean?" Jimmy asked.

"Robbie..." Michael began in a warning tone.

"Your father once jumped off a cliff to save someone," Robbie said with a smirk at Michael.

"A woman?" Jimmy asked intrigued.

"Oh yes," Stuart replied with a grin, causing both Michael and Robbie to look at him in surprise.

"Et tu, Brute?" Michael asked in a long suffering tone as he resigned himself to the inevitable.

Robbie and Stuart merely snickered as Jimmy processed this story from Michael's past, "Who was the woman? I mean, what happened to her?" Jimmy asked.

Michael nodded in the direction of the kitchen, "She's in the kitchen."

Jimmy's eyes looked liable to pop out of his head, "MUM?" he exclaimed, "You jumped off a cliff to save Mum?"

Michael shrugged a shoulder, "It was a life or death situation," he raised an eyebrow, "besides, if I hadn't, where would you be?" he teased.

Jimmy shook his head in wonder, "Wow," he said, looking at his father with new respect. "I always knew you loved Mum, but I didn't know you loved her _that_ much," he said.

"I love her enough to know that I would do anything for her," Michael replied, "and she loves me enough that I know I don't have to do silly things to impress her," he couldn't resist adding.

Jimmy blushed a little and nodded, before escaping into the kitchen.

Michael turned to his companions, "Now that you've had your fun do you think we could return to the case?"

Both men nodded their agreement, still suppressing smiles; Stuart at the memory of that day when Michael jumped off the cliff and Robbie at his own imaginings of the event.


End file.
